Pac-12 football: Chris Petersen’s contract and what it means

Initial reaction to reports that Chris Petersen will earn $3.6 million per year:

It’s ON!

Petersen’s deal makes him the highest-paid coach in the conference – perhaps by a wide margin – and one of the top-10/12 highest-paid in the country.

By my count, it’s the first time in the era of $4 million-plus salaries that a Pac-12 coach has cracked the upper echelon.

Petersen’s in high-end SEC territory, just below Saban and Miles and right there with the Old Ball Coach.

You can bet Petersen’s peers in the Pac are (privately) thrilled, although I’m not sure the ADs and presidents are so happy.

The deal raises the bar by a considerable amount and will be used as leverage by coaches whose teams outperform the Huskies and/or whose success draws interest from other schools.

Which means the Huskies have, to a greater extent than anyone else, accelerated the pace of salary increases within the league.

(The list of current salaries is below.)

Don’t blame UW. It was going to happen sooner or later.

Obviously, the market supports what the market can support. The television revenue that’s fueling facility upgrades throughout the conference will undoubtedly help schools meet market salary demands, with the TV cash funneled directly to coaches or used to support other endeavors, thereby freeing up cash reserves elsewhere for salaries.

Exactly how much better compensated Petersen is than his Pac-12 peers is difficult to pinpoint.

We know the salaries of the 10 coaches at public schools, but USC and Stanford are not subject to public records disclosures.

USA Today tracked down Lane Kiffin’s salary via USC’s tax filings and determined that Kiffin didn’t make nearly as much as was speculated in media reports. (Shocking!)

Instead of his reported $4 million annual deal, he made … $2.4 million.

And given that Steve Sarkisian earned approximately $2.6 at Washington, I’m a tad skeptical that the Trojans gave Sarkisian a 35-40 percent raise – the amount needed to be at Petersen’s salary level.

(And remember: When the Trojans agreed to terms with Sarkisian, the Huskies hadn’t hired Petersen – there was no way for USC to know Petersen’s compensation.)

More likely, Sarksian is earning $3 million, give or take.

Shaw’s compensation, based on information from sources, is likely in the $2.5 – $2.75 range. It might be 3M, but I cannot believe it’s much higher.

So Petersen’s deal likely stands alone, for now.

The following figures are APPROXIMATE, don’t include deferred money or bonuses and are for current annual compensation. Many coaches have back-loaded deals. (Jim Mora, for instance, will reportedly earn $3 million a few years from now.)

Sources: My research, public documents, media reports (that I judge to be credible) and USA Today. The exceptions, as noted above, are Shaw and Sarkisian.